Hey Smitty:  I continue to hear the same thing as you. 

This time last year I called TPWD and got ahold of the chief biologist for the quail program.  He told me that farming methods (changing from native grasses to other grasses, the systematic destruction of quail cover, the growth of predator numbers, and the mowing program along rights of ways (the mowers cut the quails heads off) has dramatically reduced the numbers of quail all over the state.

I remember hunting quail with my Father as a boy just outside Fredricksburg.  It was awesome - large coveys exploding into the air in every direction.  Even though the dogs were at point it still scared the bejesus out of me when they started to fly.  Those experiences hooked me for life as a hunter.  Even now, I would still rather hunt quail than eat when I'm hungry.......

I wanted to take pen raised quail and seed them at my lease.  The biologist told me the chances were less than slim  - that there was no known instance of pen raised birds making it in the wild - they walk back to their roost where wild birds fly back thereby avoiding laying a scent trail down that predators can follow.  90% of wild quail die each year for one cause or another.  IF you want wild quail you need to buy wild quail from TPWD and seed them at the new location for a slim chance of success.

Sorry for the rambling post...............  Good hunting.

The Benelli Super Black Eagle is my all time favorite.  I have either owned or shot a wide variety of shotguns ( also Beretta, Franci, Browning, Remington) and, given the choice, would take the Benelli over any of the other autos on the market today. It is just so doggone versatile - have hunted ducks, geese, dove, turkey, quail, chukkar, pheasant; have also shot skeet, trap and sporting clays with it...  It simply does it all and does it well.

There was a similar discussion on another board several months ago - the Beretta and the Winchester were also talked up as well.  A bunch of people were enamoured with the Remmy 870 pump as being the best gun for the money in the universe....

But just give me my Benelli.

I am starting the same kind of program, although I need to do some fencing to keep the cows out of the plantings for deer and dove.  Will hopefully duck hunt down on the coast again this year - man I do enjoy it down there.  We do get a few ducks on the property, but not many.

Gman - I like your idea of planting millet along a stock tank.  We have a small one at the N end of our property that the doves go into for watering - would be nice if they went in for feed as well.

Will be cutting down a bunch of cedar to provide better cover for any quail that might find their way there.  Still lots of predators there and thinning them out is a never ending and temporary fix.  Sure hope we can make that work though.

My partner and I currently have 5 feeders and five stands.  May add one more stand in a couple of weeks near the stock tank.